Personal Life
Following her graduation from USC as a broadcasting and English major, Julie Chen became a news assistant for ABC News in L.A in September 1991. There, Julie Chen met her future longtime boyfriend, TV news editor Gary Donahue. Chen focused on her career, anchoring for both CBS Morning News and The Early Show as well as hosting the popular summer reality television series Big Brother. Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Television, began dating the Big Brother host during his long separation from his estranged wife Nancy Wiesenfeld Moonves. On April 22, 2003, a week after Les Moonves signed a five-year multimillion dollar contract with Viacom, his wife finally filed for divorce in L.A. Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences, according to her lawyer Dennis Wasser. Divorce proceedings were delayed for almost two years due to financial settlement disagreements. On December 10, 2004, Moonves got a court to grant an early divorce, leaving spousal support and child support to be determined at a later date.
On December 23, 2004, Julie Chen married Les Moonves in a private ceremony attended by friends and family at a private home in Acapulco, Mexico. Chen wore an ivory gown designed by renowned Lebanese designer Reem Acra, while Moonves wore an Armani suit. Following an old Chinese wedding tradition, Chen walked down the aisle with a coin in her shoe to guarantee prosperity. Following the ceremony, the couple danced to "The Way You Look Tonight" accompanied by a fireworks show. Later, Chen explained in a Sirius Satellite Radio interview with Howard Stern that she signed "a very generous" prenup with Les Moonves. Chen is the stepmother of Les' three children: Adam, Michael, and Sara Moonves from his first marriage with Nancy. On September 24, 2009, she gave birth to a son named Charlie.
Chen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. She is also a devoted yogi.
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